DRC polls ‘defeated democracy’ – Mo Ibrahim, Kofi Annan

Democracy was defeated in the last elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, according to heads of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the Kofi Annan Foundation.

Mo Ibrahim, the Sudanese mogul whose foundation champions democracy across the continent however says the detailed results of the December 30, 2018 presidential polls needed to be published.

He was speaking to the French news portal Le Monde (article in French) along with Alan Doss, who is the current President of the Kofi Annan Foundation.

They said for an election in which results from the elections body, CENI, and independent tabulation by the Catholic Church showed a clear winner in Martin Fayulu, the announcement of Felix Tshisekedi as winner after ‘intense negotiation,’ could only be described as a defeat for democracy.

They expressed worry at the manner in which the international community is warming up to the new president warning that the consequences of today’s so called stability could be costly.

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The continued impact and political reach of Kabila, the issue of legitimacy for Tshisekedi who has the other headache of an opposition-held legislature and the long term effect of today’s decision on the future were issues that they further addressed.

Among other things they stressed: “… what is even more disturbing is that, seeing that elections are powerless to change things, the Congolese people are likely to turn to other methods to overthrow the unbearable status quo that makes the vast majority of the population trample in poverty while a handful of individuals at the top of the state amassed fortunes.

“There are already sounds of boots in the east, which has a heavy history of insurrection. There are already dozens of active armed groups that could be mobilized. Many DRC neighbors will be affected if a new wave of widespread violence erupts in the Congo.

“Over the past two decades, the international community has invested billions of dollars in the DRC in an attempt to stabilize the country and its regional environment and steer it towards a democratic, fair and prosperous future.

“By passively accepting this accomplished fact, all this investment will have been heavily compromised,” they added.